The calendar year has set off at full throttle, with lots of things to happen or move forward.

Church life, whether you are the minister, an elder, or a member of the congregation, often seems full, and I know that for some who want to take part in things that are happening it can be difficult to choose what to juggle. In amongst the ordinariness of coming to worship, and trying to be faithful on a day by day basis, at some point there are other calls on time and talents.

We operate a system here where all of our Kirk Session teams have both elders and congregation members on them. In part we hope it offers broader representation. But we also hope it serves as a way of discovering more about what it might mean to take on a leadership role.

I am fortunate as this is a group of people who are usually willing to be involved, but there are times when many find commitments to family and other organisations overwhelm what they can offer.

This year in amongst our ordinary commitments to share our faith in our community, we have plans we want to move ahead with. We’ve committed to take part in the national stewardship programme, yet we are also keen to look at our local responsibilities in new ways. Some of that lies in the celebrations of the centenary of our building that are to be planned, while others focus on how best we use our building and presence to be God’s people in this place.

I’m hoping some will be willing to catch the new balls being thrown, and play a little role in the planning and the moving on.